For golf players it is frequently desirable to have means available that allows the player to practice various aspects of the game in a setting away from a regular golf course. The present invention addresses such practice means and especially the putting aspect of the game.
Inventors have in the past disclosed devices for aiding a player in practicing the putting of a golf ball. U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,414 shows a golf ball direction indicator in which a photosensitive element is placed in front of a golf ball with three other photosensitive elements for indicating a straight, a left or a right ball and a timer coupled to the photosensitive elements for computing the speed of the ball. U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,469 shows a golf game practicing apparatus for simulating practicing of putting shots. It has a curved curb for receiving balls from a starting point and a display for displaying and computing an imaginary ball trajectory.
The known game apparatus, however, suffer from the drawbacks that they do not emulate an actual golf playing environment in which scores are earned and displayed, based on the degree of putting skill exhibited, nor do they emulate the environment in which several players can compete against each other and play various types of games, such as "shootout", "skins", and the like.
It is accordingly an object of the instant invention to provide a golf game playing apparatus that to a high degree realistically emulates golf as played on a putting green optionally with a number of participating players, which computes the scores of each layer, provides feedback as to the distance each ball would actually have run on an actual putting green, and which allows the players to engage in various types of games.